About location setup

Use locations to implement call admission control in a centralized call-processing system. Call admission control enables you to regulate audio quality and video availability by limiting the amount of bandwidth that is available for audio and video calls over links between the locations. For more information, see topics related to call admission control in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager System Guide.

Note

If you do not use call admission control to limit the audio and video bandwidth on an IP WAN link, an unlimited number of calls can be active on that link at the same time. This situation can cause the audio quality of each audio call and the video quality of each video call to degrade as the link becomes oversubscribed.

Tip

Do not confuse locations with geolocations. Locations, which you configure by using the System > Location Info menu option, allow you to define entities that a centralized call-processing system uses to provide call admission control (CAC). Geolocations, which you configure by using the System > Geolocation Configuration menu option, allow you to specify geographic locations that you use to associate Cisco Unified Communications Manager devices for features such as logical partitioning.

In a centralized call-processing system, a single Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster provides call processing for all locations on the IP telephony network. The Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster usually resides at the main (or central) location, along with other devices such as phones and gateways. The remote locations contain additional devices, but no Cisco Unified Communications Manager. IP WAN links connect the remote locations to the main location.

Cisco Unified Communications Manager supports up to 2000 locations. The following limitations and restrictions apply:

Configure as many locations as possible to Use System Default for the RSVP policy.

This enhancement requires an MCS 7845H1 or higher server.

See the "Regions" subtopic under the "Administration Considerations" topic of the "IP Video Telephony" chapter of the Cisco Unified Communications Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) for the current release, which provides recommendations as to how the video bandwidth should be set for regions and locations, so the video portion of video calls will succeed, and the video calls will not get rejected nor set up as audio-only calls.

Enhanced Location Call Admission Control

The Enhanced Location Call Admission Control (CAC) feature improves the Location CAC mechanism to support more complex networks, including multi-tier, and multi-hop topologies. This feature supports Location CAC within a cluster and among multiple clusters, performing end to end bandwidth deduction. This enhancement to the CAC feature creates a much more flexible and dynamic system for the management of bandwidth.

The Enhanced Location CAC feature is provided by the Location Bandwidth Manager (LBM) service. The LBM service can be configured to run on every node or selected nodes of a Unified Communication Manager (Unified CM) server. For more information, see the chapter Enhanced Location Call Admission Control in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Features and Services Guide.

Location deletion

You cannot delete a location to which devices are assigned. To find out which devices are using the location, click Dependency Records from Related Links in the Location Configuration window; then, click Go. If the dependency records are not enabled for the system, the dependency records summary window displays a message. If you try to delete a location that is in use, Cisco Unified Communications Manager displays a message. Before deleting a location that is currently in use, you must perform either or both of the following tasks:

Update the devices to assign them to a different location.

Delete the devices that are assigned to the location that you want to delete.

Note

Deleting a location allocates infinite bandwidth for the links that are connected to that location and allows an unlimited number of calls on those links. Deleting a location can cause audio quality on the links to degrade.

Hub_None—The Hub_None location specifies unlimited audio bandwidth and unlimited video bandwidth. A device that associates with the Hub_None location allows an unlimited number of active calls to or from the device. By default, devices not assigned to other locations are assigned to Hub_None.

Note

The location that is configured in a device pool takes precedence over the location configured in the device when the location in the device is set to Hub_None. If the device location is set to any other user-defined location, standard rules apply and the device parameter takes priority.

Phantom—Phantom location specifies unlimited audio bandwidth, unlimited video bandwidth, and unlimited immersive video bandwidth.. Specify this location to allow successful call admission control for calls across inter-cluster trunks that use the H.323 protocol or SIP trunks to certain destinations that support the earlier Location CAC feature.

Note

Both Hub_None and Phantom locations do allow configuration of the associated RSVP policy setting(s).

Shadow—Shadow is a system location created for inter-cluster Enhanced Location CAC. In order to pass location information across clusters, the SIP ICT must be assigned to the system location Shadow.

Links - Bandwidth Between This Location and Adjacent Locations

Location

Select a location from the list.

Weight

Enter the relative priority of this link in forming the Effective Path between any pair of Locations. The Effective Path has the least cumulative Weight of all possible paths. Valid values are 0-100.

Audio Bandwidth

Enter the maximum amount of audio bandwidth (in kb/s) that is available for all audio calls on the link between this location and other locations. For audio calls, the audio bandwidth includes overhead. Choose between the following options:

Unlimited bandwidth—Click the Unlimited radio button.

Specified bandwidth—Specify a bandwidth by clicking the radio button next to the kb/s box and entering a specified bandwidth. Valid values are 1 to 2147483647.

For purposes of location bandwidth calculations only, assume that each call stream consumes the following amount of bandwidth:

G.711 call uses 80 kb/s.

G.722 call uses 80 kb/s.

G.723 call uses 24 kb/s.

G.728 call uses 16 kb/s.

G.729 call uses 24 kb/s.

GSM call uses 29 kb/s.

Wideband call uses 272 kb/s.

Note

To improve audio quality, lower the bandwidth setting, so fewer active calls are allowed on this link.

Video Calls Information

Video Bandwidth

Enter the maximum amount of video bandwidth (in kb/s) that is available for all video calls on the link between this location and other locations. For video calls, the video bandwidth does not include overhead. Choose among the following options:

None—The system does not allow video calls between this location and other locations.

Specified bandwidth—Specify a video bandwidth by clicking the radio button next to the kb/s box and entering a specified video bandwidth. The default value specifies 384 kb/s.

Unlimited bandwidth—Click the Unlimited radio button.

Immersive Video Information

Immersive Video

Enter the maximum amount of immersive video bandwidth (in kb/s) that is available for all immersive video calls on the link within this location. For video calls, the immersive video bandwidth does not include overhead. Choose among the following options:

None—The system does not allow immersive video calls between this location and other locations. Immersive video calls can, however, take place within this location.

Specified bandwidth—Specify an immersive video bandwidth by clicking the radio button next to the kb/s box and entering a specified immersive video bandwidth. The default value specifies 384 kb/s.

Unlimited bandwidth—Click the Unlimited radio button.

Intra-location - Bandwidth for Devices within This Location

Audio Calls Information

Audio Bandwidth

Enter the maximum amount of audio bandwidth (in kb/s) that is available for all audio calls on the link within this location. For audio calls, the audio bandwidth includes overhead. Choose between the following options:

Unlimited bandwidth—Click the Unlimited radio button.

Specified bandwidth—Specify a bandwidth by clicking the radio button next to the kb/s box and entering a specified bandwidth. Valid values are 1 to 2147483647.

For purposes of location bandwidth calculations only, assume that each call stream consumes the following amount of bandwidth:

G.711 call uses 80 kb/s.

G.722 call uses 80 kb/s.

G.723 call uses 24 kb/s.

G.728 call uses 16 kb/s.

G.729 call uses 24 kb/s.

GSM call uses 29 kb/s.

Wideband call uses 272 kb/s.

To improve audio quality, lower the bandwidth setting, so fewer active calls are allowed within this location.

Video Calls Information

Video Bandwidth

Enter the maximum amount of video bandwidth (in kb/s) that is available for all video calls on the link between this location and other locations. For video calls, the video bandwidth does not include overhead. Choose among the following options:

None—The system does not allow video calls between this location and other locations.

Specified bandwidth—Specify a video bandwidth by clicking the radio button next to the kb/s box and entering a specified video bandwidth. The default value specifies 384 kb/s.

Unlimited bandwidth—Click the Unlimited radio button.

Immersive Video Information

Immersive Video

Enter the maximum amount of immersive video bandwidth (in kb/s) that is available for all immersive video calls on the link within this location. For video calls, the immersive video bandwidth does not include overhead. Choose among the following options:

None—The system does not allow immersive video calls between this location and other locations. Immersive video calls can, however, take place within this location.

Specified bandwidth—Specify an immersive video bandwidth by clicking the radio button next to the kb/s box and entering a specified immersive video bandwidth. The default value specifies 384 kb/s.

Unlimited bandwidth—Click the Unlimited radio button.

Locations RSVP Settings

Location

This display-only field displays locations for which the inter-location RSVP setting has been changed from the system default RSVP policy.

RSVP Setting

This display-only field displays the RSVP policy setting between the selected location and the location that is listed in the Location column to the left.

Modify Setting(s) to Other Locations

Location

To change the RSVP policy setting between the current location and a location that displays in this pane, choose a location in this pane.

RSVP Setting

To choose an RSVP policy setting between the current location and the location that is chosen in the Location pane at left, choose an RSVP setting from the drop-down list box. Choose from the following available settings:

Use System Default—The RSVP policy for the location pair matches the clusterwide RSVP policy. See topics related to clusterwide default RSVP policy in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager System Guide for details.

No Reservation—No RSVP reservations can get made between any two locations.

Location Bandwidth Manager Hub Group

Location Bandwidth Manager Hub Group configuration enables an LBM service to participate directly in inter-cluster replication of configured and dynamic Location Bandwidth data. LBMs assigned an LBM Hub Group discover each other through their common connections and form a fully-meshed replication network. Other LBM services in a cluster with an LBM Hub participate indirectly in inter-cluster replication through the LBM Hubs in their cluster.

Use the LBM Hub Group Page to configure the LBM Hub service to find a location in the remote clusters to establish external communication.

Table 3 Location Bandwidth Manager Hub Group Configuration

Field

Description

Location Bandwidth Manager Hub Group Information

Name

Enter the name of the new Location Bandwidth Manager Hub Group that you are creating.

Description

If desired enter a description for the Location Bandwidth Manager Hub Group.